Have you ever thought about if humans are really the pinnacle of evolution on
Earth? That we're really the top of the evolution chain? If you'd thought about
it, or if you don't want to and want someone to giveyou an idea about it... pick
up a copy of Parasite Eve. I warn you though, it might not be the answer you want
to hear.

The first thing you will notice about Parasite Eve is the highly
detailed FMV sequences and graphics generally. They certainly outmatched
everything in its day, and even two years on, they couldn't be seen as
shabby compared to the Square standards today... and that's quite a good
thing as well, because the storyline is greatly enhanced by the use of
the high end graphics. For all those who appreciate the graphics, this
is something you'll not want to pass up. Some of the graphic
representations might be a little disturbing, but they're some of the
best you'll ever see.

The combat system within Parasite Eve is somewhat a cross between Chrono
Trigger and Secret of Mana. You control one person in the entire game,
Aya Brea and you can move around freely within the battle area,

Face your partner, do-see-do!

but you
can't attack with your gun or batton, use items, change equipment, or
use special abilities which require Parasite Energy [or PE] until your
battle meter fills up, where you can put in your commands. The system is
fairly simple, easy to use, and you're not going to end up killing
yourself because of awkward controls or setups.

Then again, it's not likely that you would die that often. It's not very
hard for anyone who's played an RPG before, although there might be a
few difficult spots, but it's not so hard that powering up for hours on
end really needs to be done. Once you grasp the controls, it shouldn't
prove to be a problem. You'll breeze through it in maybe 20 hours, 30
hours if there's any major difficulty... it might sound like a bad
thing, but the game any longer could seriously weaken it.

Parasite Eve presents a very novel concept... the ability to customise
your weapons and armour. You can, given some tools and some other
equipment which has the properties you want, can transfer any given
weapon or armour some special abilities. With this, you can create a
pistol which shoots heated bullets, armour which can boost your attack
power, a machine gun which uses shotgun bullets, or many other
combinations of weapons, which allows you to construct the weapon or
armour you desire.

Dark and Dreary, anyone?

The effects and music for Parasite Eve are simply outstanding. They
might not be the absolute best orchistration in the universe, but they
certainly fit the scenes they were designed for. The boss theme will
have you ready for battle in next to no time, the NYPD station theme
will have you feeling like you really walked into a police station,
going to the Opera sounds like you're really there. And the sound
effects are done well, with attention to detail. What you walk across
will determine what sounds Aya makes when she starts walking or running,
a pistol will sound different to a rocket launcher, and some of the
monsters sound out cries and snarls.

As for the Plot? It, for all it's shortness, would be one of the best
storylines for a si-fi based game. It will draw you in, with all the
plot twists and events, it will drive you to finish it, and it will
leave you breathless once you complete the game. The presentation of
this short but very thought out plot is probably one of the game's
strong points. You will see in full detail of how Eve manages to kill
people, you will see all the dramatic moments in FMV... you will come to
understand why Aya can stand up to Eve where no one else can, and you
will see humanity's efforts to stop Eve. The presentation of the plot
goes all the way down to the wire, even the font used during the game
adds to the game's atmosphere, using a font we would normally associate
with a police typewriter.

There aren't any very noticable translation errors or flubs, and the
game itself will probably involve you so much that any mistakes would be
skipped over without a second thought.

She's got a gun - and she's not afraid to use it.

For all those seeking a long, fantasy based RPG, you're definitely not
going to see that here. Anyone who has any science fiction interests
will find this a thrill to play, and everyone else should at least have
some fun playing this. Maybe a little short, but six days of terror,
suspense and action will be worth the trip. It is certainly a unique one
many will have never experienced before.

I'll warn you right now though... Parasite Eve isn't for the faint of
heart, and I wouldn't recommend playing it with little kids around. It
might just give them nightmares... hell, it just might make you think
differently about a few things yourself...